# Chapter 69
“Hah-.”
Ji Haecheon exhaled in exasperation. I didn’t understand what the problem was, especially since he had initially said he just wanted to meet to see my face.
Of course, I knew his words weren’t literally about just wanting to see my face, but I didn’t particularly want to stay and indulge his implied meaning. Besides, if I stayed, Dojin and Haecheon would just end up fighting, so wouldn’t it be okay for me to leave?
“As expected, Habin seems to be the smartest one.”
Thinking he might be mocking me, I looked at Dojin, but his eyes were sparkling. It seems he was being sincere.
“There’s nothing more to do here, right?”
If I mentioned that fighting was what remained, I’d have nothing to say, but he said with his own mouth that he came to see my face. Dojin brightened up and gently shook my hand, whispering for us to leave quickly, but I stayed still, thinking it was only polite to hear what the other person had to say first.
In stark contrast to the cheerful Dojin, Ji Haecheon, with his deeply furrowed brow, rapidly tapped the armrest with an irritated gesture.
“What kind of relationship do you have with Kwon Dojin?”
Asking what kind of relationship I had with Dojin—hearing this question after so long gave me a strange sense of nostalgia. Especially coming from Ji Haecheon’s mouth, it felt even more so.
Originally, I would have answered that we weren’t anything, but since the person asking was Ji Haecheon, there was probably no need to say that.
From the outset, Ji Haecheon’s attitude strongly signaled that he had already determined the answer. Recalling how he had used the word “toy” before, I could already guess what answer he had in mind.
The answer Ji Haecheon had predetermined wasn’t correct. That was certain. However, I couldn’t give a precise answer right now about “what kind of relationship” we had in a different sense.
I’m still thinking about it.
“Friends.”
Of course, regardless of all that, I couldn’t keep silent, so I gave the same answer I had been giving all along.
“Friends? Friends, you say-.”
Ji Haecheon stared at Dojin and me with narrowed eyes. Under that gaze, Dojin ostentatiously placed our clasped hands on the armrest. He even interlaced our fingers. Displeased with Dojin’s actions that undermined the credibility of my words, I quickly shook our clasped hands to show my disapproval.
Ji Haecheon’s question had made me somewhat troubled, but Dojin, oblivious to my emotions, was looking down at our joined hands with a faint smile, which made all my unsettled feelings fly away.
“Being so close like that, and you call yourselves friends?”
“There isn’t just one form of relationship called ‘friends’ in this world. If you look around, you’ll find friends who stick together like Dojin and me.”
Rambling whatever came to mind, I dug my fingernails into the back of Dojin’s hand. It was difficult to do with our fingers interlaced, but I couldn’t find a proper way to stop him.
I did consider kicking his leg, but my legs were short, and if I kicked the chair too, I’d be the only one getting hurt, so I refrained.
“You’re just as good at playing with words as Kwon Dojin.”
His attitude was unpleasant, but what did it matter? I was a bit afraid of the consequences of provoking Ji Haecheon, but I trusted Dojin would handle it somehow. My shield of being a regular person not involved in the hierarchy probably wouldn’t work, but since I was always with Dojin, it should be fine.
It might be naive thinking, but I couldn’t think of a better response, so wasn’t this the best I could do?
“Habin and I are different from you because we actually think when we live our lives. Instead of making an even bigger fool of yourself, why don’t you just get up and leave? It doesn’t seem like you have anything more to say.”
Dojin lifted just one corner of his mouth. With his coldly composed eyes and sneering lip, his attitude was clearly disdainful to anyone who saw it. If I were Ji Haecheon, I probably would have lost my temper.
“Seeing how defensive you are, you must really care about him.”
Ji Haecheon also smiled crookedly, as if responding to Dojin. How could he say things like that? Even though they weren’t my words, I felt so cringey that goosebumps rose all over my skin.
“Would anything change if I said I did?”
Why did Dojin respond to such comments? Would something terrible happen if he ignored them? This time, my body involuntarily shuddered as if I had a chill. This wasn’t a conversation to have in front of the person in question, was it?
I barely restrained the urge to shake my ears clean. I wish they would have such talks about caring for me and whatnot only when they were alone.
“This is interesting. I wonder how long it will last this time.”
“Get rid of that arrogance that everything will go according to your plan.”
“I’ve never failed before.”
“Never failed? You?”
While the parties involved might feel differently, for me, the conversation was dragging on tediously. I turned my head to look at the ceiling once, then the counter, then the surrounding tables.
It was an expression of boredom, but no one recognized it, so I let out a deep sigh. The thought of having to intervene again was burdensome, but I didn’t want to stay here any longer. I’d rather go study, actually.
First, I picked up my belongings and looked around to check if Dojin had any items. Unlike me, he seemed to have come empty-handed, so there wasn’t anything he’d left aside.
“If you really have never failed, then—”
“Let’s stop and go.”
I cut off Dojin’s words. Once again, both of their gazes turned to me, but I was too tired to care. After standing up, I grabbed Dojin’s arm and pulled him along, making him stand up somewhat bewilderedly.
“You’ve got your phone and wallet, right?”
“Huh? Yeah, I have them.”
“Then that’s settled. Let’s go. Ji Haecheon, you’ve seen his face now, so we’re good, right? We’re leaving.”
I rushed ahead, not giving Ji Haecheon or Dojin time to react. The problem was that it was difficult to move Dojin with just my strength.
“If you’re friends.”
My plan to escape was blocked by Ji Haecheon’s words. In an awkward posture, I turned to look at him, and Ji Haecheon was staring directly at me.
“That means no matter what kind of relationship I have with Lee Habin, it has nothing to do with you, Kwon Dojin, right?”
“…What?”
Unlike Dojin, who had frozen solid like a stone, Ji Haecheon lifted the corners of his mouth with a relaxed expression.
“I like how clear the limitations of the role of a friend are.”
Dojin bit his lower lip until it turned white. His hand was also trembling noticeably.
“Because we’re friends, it’s okay to intervene. It’s not that it has nothing to do with me because we’re friends. The relationship with such limitations isn’t friendship but being strangers.”
That’s why I responded to what would normally have been dismissed as nonsense. It was purely because of Dojin that I opened my mouth.
“You—”
“If you’re going to say things like that, I’m really leaving. I’m tired.”
I unilaterally announced the end of the conversation and pulled Dojin’s hand, but he seemed to be in a daze and didn’t move. So I kicked his calf lightly, and only then did he come to his senses and follow me, moving his legs.
In a way, it was similar to running away, so I thought Dojin might dislike it as it didn’t look good, but contrary to my expectations, he was actually pleased. He really, truly seemed to hate Ji Haecheon.
With a cheerful ding, the café door opened. Just before leaving, I looked at where Ji Haecheon was sitting and saw him watching us with a deeply scowling face.
He could have chased after us, but seeing that he remained still in his place, it seemed that, as someone who belonged to the hierarchy, he valued maintaining his composure more. Or perhaps he judged that the business was finished.
Anyway, I decided to be grateful that it ended without incident. I had worried, “What if Dojin and Ji Haecheon can’t stand each other and suddenly go outside for a fight?” but fortunately, it ended with just a verbal argument.
“It feels like a storm has just passed.”
Although I wasn’t the one mainly dealing with Ji Haecheon, watching all the psychological warfare from the side had been tiring. I suppressed a natural sigh and stretched my neck by moving it from side to side.
“I’m sorry, we could have left earlier.”
“Huh? I think we left quite quickly, all things considered.”
Since we hadn’t even been together for an hour, isn’t that quick? Whenever I meet someone, I usually spend three or four hours with them, but we had only sat facing Ji Haecheon for about 40 minutes.
“I’m glad you think so. Are you tired? Since my place is closer, would you like to rest there for a while?”
“Hmm—”
It was a not-bad proposal that made me consider it. Going straight home to rest would be less troublesome later, but I also wanted to go somewhere comfortable and rest quickly. As I struggled to make a decision, Dojin gently coaxed me.
“Tomorrow’s the weekend. How about staying over?”
“…But I don’t have clothes.”
“Wouldn’t my clothes be fine for you?”
Normally, I would have rejected it without hesitation, but today I was particularly drawn to the idea. Just as I was unable to reach a conclusion, my phone, which rarely rang, boasted its presence with a loud sound.
“Sorry, just a moment.”
A quick glance at the screen showed it was my sister. I was curious why my sister, who didn’t usually contact me, had sent a message. When I asked Dojin for a moment, he nodded willingly.
[What kind of trouble are you getting into now?]
Reading my sister’s text, somehow her voice played in my head. That very displeased and irritated voice.
[What?]
I didn’t understand what she meant, so I asked back, but the reply probably wouldn’t come anyway. Based on past experience, I predicted that Lee Yumin would read my message and go, “Ah, never mind, forget it!”
“I think I need to go home.”
“You’re not coming with me?”
“I’ve become curious about something.”
If she wasn’t planning to tell me via text, I could just go find her and press her for answers. After reaching this very simple conclusion, I declined Dojin’s invitation. At that, Dojin rested his chin on my shoulder with a very regretful expression.
“Please reconsider just once, okay?”
“Even if I reconsider, my curiosity comes first.”
Curiosity and inquisitiveness were sufficient reasons to motivate me. If I hadn’t been a person full of curiosity and inquisitiveness in the first place, I wouldn’t have gone to places like the hierarchy battles or hierarchy gatherings and gotten into danger.
In response to my firm rejection, Dojin let out a mournful sigh instead of trying to persuade me. Then, rubbing his cheek against my shoulder, he naturally wrapped his arm around my waist.
“Then I’ll take you home. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine, I guess…”
Even with a rough assessment, there was no reason to refuse. I also felt a bit sorry for rejecting his earlier proposal, so I nodded.
At that, Dojin separated from me slightly, stepped one step ahead, and smiled brightly as if he had been waiting for this. What was so good about taking me home that made him smile like that? Of course, if he hadn’t wanted to, he wouldn’t have offered in the first place, but I couldn’t understand him.
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
Looking down at my hand that was somehow being held, Dojin asked a question while gently pulling my hand, not enough to hurt, to divert my attention elsewhere.
“This week, I’m really going to stay home.”
Every time I said I would rest at home, I ended up going out for one reason or another, so I partly felt stubborn about it. Seeing my resolute expression, Dojin rather expressed doubt.
“Really?”
“…Why don’t you believe me?”
“Well-, it’s because Habin has never kept that promise before.”
A short exclamation escaped between Dojin’s teeth as he tilted his head slightly.
“Isn’t this what they call raising a flag?”
Damn. Thanks to Dojin, I realized it. That I had, once again, unknowingly raised a flag.
